Originally known under the name The Management, the group was founded in 2002 by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser during their freshman year as art students at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.

[2][3] The critical success of the EP and extensive touring brought the group to the attention of Columbia Records, which signed them in 2006.

[1] The album reached number 38 on the US Billboard 200 and the top ten of the Irish and United Kingdom album charts[4][5][6] – it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),[7] double platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).

[7] In early 2010, MGMT collaborated with rapper Kid Cudi and electronic rock duo Ratatat on the single "Pursuit of Happiness", which reached number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA:[10] two different music videos were recorded for the song.

[13][14] The band released their second studio album, Congratulations, in April 2010, with producer Sonic Boom contributing heavily during the recording process.